Wow! That is all I can say about this e-newsletter I received this weekend. Let me give you some background and then discuss why this matters.
The firm who sends out this newsletter is an insurance defense firm. I know, they say that some of their attorneys handle personal injury cases. Their webpage says that they represent Plaintiffs, and they do handle some plaintiff cases. But, then you read this:
“Over the last quarter century we have been fortunate to have cases referred to us for the defense of their insureds by such respected companies as California State Automobile Association, Allstate, Utica National Insurance Co., Harleysville Insurance Co., Gulf Insurance Co. and others. In addition, we have defended suits filed against many businesses including Massey-Ferguson, AGCO, Lear Corporation, and Teichert Construction Co. Among our public entity clients have been the State of California, Counties of Sacramento, Solano, El Dorado, Nevada and Sutter, as well as the Cities of Sacramento, Stockton, Yuba City, Marysville, Dixon and Auburn.”
Any way you cut it, this firm defends insurance companies and their insureds. And, they do it well. And they make money from it.
With that background, when I read the title of this article, I was stunned:
“Protecting Yourself When You Deal With Your Insurance Company”
The subheading is:
“What to do now so that you won’t have unpleasant surprises when you make a claim.”
WOW! The newsletter than gives you tips on how to protect yourself when filing a claim. There is nothing new there. There is nothing different than what you have learned from reading my blog and listening to my podcasts. But, look at the language they use:
“If you aren’t prepared, you might say something that the company could twist into a basis for denying the claim” AND
“Accept the insurance company’s expert’s evaluations of your losses without getting your own expert’s estimates. The two can vary widely.” AND
“Among other things, it can make it more difficult for the insurer to blame any delay on you.”
This e-newsletter essentially tells you that the insurance company may twist your words, may write an estimate lower than the actual value of your loss and may blame delays in the claim on you.
If this is what a defense firm is saying, imagine what really happens!